Abstract

Schistura nagodiensis an S.sharavathiensis are the new fish species described from Sharavathi river, central Western Ghats. These species are distinct from their closest congeners in Schistura, which are evident from variations in combination of characters such as processus dentiformis, barbels, bars on body, extent of lateral line with pores, marks on lower lip, ray counts, shape of caudal fin, caudal bar, adipose crest, etc. Distinct clusters of Principal Components based on morphometric variables (PCA) further substantiate that these are significantly different from their closest congeners.